The place where Saskatchewan journalists live in the middle of the spectrum can be a lonely place.
To the right is the conservative business crowd often annoyed by what we write. To the left is the labour-left that's usually every bit as angry at us for something or the other.
Living in the middle means you generally get it from both sides.
But journalists usually do have one at least one companion. The truth usually resides somewhere in the middle. And while that does sound a tad sanctimonious, it also pretty much reflects present-day Saskatchewan debate that's seeing the business/right battle the labour/left for the hearts and minds of Saskatchewan people in the run up to the Nov. 7 provincial election.
This proxy fight on behalf of respective political party that each side wants elected in the fall started with advertisements from the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU) taking square aim at the Saskatchewan Party government's supposed creeping privatization agenda.
The ad campaign was wrapped in the provincial flag with plenty of talk about how the unions have Saskatchewan people's interest in mind. (Unfortunately, this was a notion that the union leadership might have temporarily forgotten when it pulled its crop insurance adjusters from the job in the middle of the flooding.)
More recently, another Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) ad campaign has also taken up the cause, asking voters how much more government services would be available if only the government would take more money from potash, gas and oil royalties.
Not to be outdone, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce has announced its own advertising campaign to dispel all the "negativity" out there. Naturally, the chamber claims there is no element of partisanship in their campaign, but given that it's "Saskatchewan On Track" theme so nicely dovetails into the government's own pre-election messaging, it's rather hard to believe this.
But who is right? Is Premier Brad Wall's government really foregoing revenue and robbing Saskatchewan people of valued services to ensure business friends get the benefits from his administration? Or is he right on track to lead Saskatchewan out of the wilderness by creating an efficient government and healthy climate for growth?
Well, the beauty of being stuck in the middle is that you never seem all that far from the truth.
For example, if there is some hidden privatization agenda as the union now claims, it's really well hidden. The smattering of initiatives resulting in the private sector taking over areas once controlled by government hardly merits the accusation that the Sask. Party government privatizing our highways.
And the notion that we all would be much better off if only we took more royalties from big oil and potash is nice, but a bit overly simplistic. This is, after all, the same royalty regime used by the NDP. Admittedly, the resource sector has become more profitable and the Sask. Party government position that we shouldn't ever look at royalty rates seems to be both nonsensical and bad business practice. However, any hikes have to be weighed against the potential consequences, which do include oilrigs moving back to a recovering Alberta or less potash mine expansion.
That said, the chamber's notion that Wall has us headed in the right direction runs headlong into the reality of job numbers that past few months that show less working people and more of them moving back to Alberta, anyway.
Contrary to the Chamber of Commerce view, not everything is completely on track in Saskatchewan. But those in rural Saskatchewan who see potholes in our highways or now have to travel further away to find a doctor likely already know this.
As is often the case, our old friend the truth is hanging around somewhere in the middle.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 15 years.
